Procurement Associate

The Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR), based in Geneva, is responsible for the effective management, coordination and oversight of UNOPS operations across the region. The ECR region spans the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Türkiye, where UNOPS works with partners to achieve sustainable impact in health, education, environmental management, housing, rule of law, good governance, economic development, and social inclusion. With a wealth of experience in procurement, infrastructure, project and grant management, UNOPS in the region directly implements projects, provides technical advisory services and capacity building to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in support of national governments.

Since opening in 2019, the UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) in Vienna has served as a hub for operations across 12 countries in South-East Europe, Türkiye, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. AUMCO delivers technical expertise, operational support, and sustainable infrastructure solutions for governments, donors, and international financial institutions. Flagship initiatives include Blueing the Black Sea—a GEF and World Bank partnership to reduce pollution and promote sustainable development—and Türkiye’s post-earthquake recovery programme, enhancing protective services for women and children. In Albania, projects revitalise cultural heritage and advance digital justice, while in Kosovo, new university infrastructure supports higher education. In Georgia, AUMCO facilitates the Eastern Partnership European School and strengthens rule of law and digital health access. Across Central Asia, activities range from health system strengthening in Uzbekistan to hazardous waste management in Tajikistan. AUMCO also supports UNOPS’ global Water, Environment, and Climate portfolio, reinforcing its role as a regional and thematic centre of excellence.

Since establishing its presence in Tashkent in 2023, UNOPS has been supporting healthcare infrastructure and service delivery across Uzbekistan. Key initiatives include: - COVID-19 Emergency Response – Strengthening resilience to pandemics by upgrading over 150 Sanitary-Epidemiological Committee facilities. The project delivers infrastructure improvements, diagnostic equipment, an ICT-based national epidemiological surveillance system, and expanded patient treatment capacity. - Oncology Services Development – Enhancing access to quality cancer care by equipping 14 regional hospitals with advanced medical, diagnostic, radiological, and ICT tools, establishing a national cancer registry, and providing capacity building for medical staff. - Hospital Infrastructure Design in Kashkadarya – Supporting healthcare reform through feasibility studies, site investigations, and technical designs for new hospitals in Karshi and Beshkent, aligned with national and international standards. Through these efforts, UNOPS is helping Uzbekistan strengthen its health systems and improve the quality of care for its citizens.

Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO)

The Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) is part of the UNOPS Europe and Central Asia Region (ECR). Specifically, AUMCO aims to enable the achievement of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement through global programmes and tailored interventions in the Balkans, South Caucasus, and Central Asia, focused on Infrastructure, Procurement, Project Management (full service, back on track), HR and Transactional Services, Grants Management and Technical and Advisory Services.

 Uzbekistan Office

 Under the purview of AUMCO, the UNOPS Uzbekistan Office, established in Tashkent in October 2022 supports the Government of Uzbekistan’s development efforts in the country, through the provision of effective project management, infrastructure and procurement services. At present, the office has signed and has been implementing three engagements contributing to SGD3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), while actively working with the Government of Uzbekistan and development partners in diversifying its portfolio in line with the country’s development priorities including education.

Languages
 * Fluent knowledge of English is required. 
 * Fluency in either Uzbek or Russian is required. 
 * Fluency in all three languages (English, Russian and Uzbek) is a strong asset.

*** Only nationals or persons already holding a valid residence/work permit in Uzbekistan are eligible for this position***

***UNOPS Uzbekistan is building a diverse team and is dedicated to establishing gender balance. We encourage all qualified female candidates with relevant experience or skill to apply***

The Procurement Senior Associate provides efficient and timely support services in procurement and contract administration to the different programmes managed by their office. S/he promotes a quality-driven, client-focused and results-oriented approach to ensure compliance with UNOPS procurement rules, regulations, policies and strategies, while working and liaising with other procurement personnel and various other stakeholders, including programme support officers, chief technical advisors, portfolio managers, and portfolio assistants. In the discharge of their duties, the Senior Associate, Procurement works with minimal supervision.

Procurement Transactions Support

• Execute approved steps to embed sustainability in the procurement process.
• Ensure complete submissions to the Contract and Property Committees (CPCs).
• Ensure completeness of documentation for preparation/ processing of Purchase Orders (POs), Contracts, Long Term Agreements (LTAs), or their amendments.
• Conduct routine market research to determine supply sources using the UN Global Market Place and other relevant external sources. 
• Set up, enhance or maintain the local supplier database, ensuring regular update of information databases and procurement files and records.
• Generate status reports, as and when required.
• Ensure the availability of all supporting documents for audit and review purposes.

Procurement Planning, Requisition and Sourcing

• Collaborate with project personnel and managers in preparing their procurement plans and awards. 
• Maintain and update procurement monitoring processes for projects and provide feedback on POs to the requesting office.
• Provide proposals to requesting entities on modes for the provision of goods, works and services, including procurement deadlines for every stage.
• Review requisitions for completeness.
• Prepare proper and complete specifications for equipment and materials, job profiles and statements of work (SoWs) as inputs to Requests for Proposal (RFPs), Requests for Quote (RFQs) and Invitations to Bid (ITBs), ensuring clearance/ approval by the relevant approving units.
• Liaise regularly with vendors and consignees until safe delivery of goods is achieved.
• Monitor progress and liaise with vendors throughout the procurement cycle.
• Investigate and resolve post-order problems and share progress reports on procurement matters.
• Provide oral or written responses to queries from projects, clients, companies, etc, regarding procurement-related matters.
• Prepare monthly reports on procurement matters.
• Liaise with the logistics unit or projects on receipt of goods, equipment and services in view of obtaining proper delivery reports, Receipt and Inspection Reports (RIRs), or relevant certificates while ensuring that proper inventory is taken.

Bidding and Tendering Support

• Prepare shortlists of suitable contractors/ suppliers for purchases of value over designated amounts for approval by designated officer(s).
• Prepare and issue Expressions of Interest (EOIs), RFQs, ITBs, RFPs, or other tender documents as required, ensuring conformity with UNOPS’ approved templates and seeking legal clearance in case of required adjustments.
• Work with requesting programme or operations clients to review and evaluate bids or proposals received and prepare analyses for less complex contract awards for submission. to the regional sub-group of the Contracts and Property Committee (CPC) or other designated statutory body.  body.
• Work with requesting programme or operations clients to make submissions to the CPC.
• Organize CPC regional sub-group (or designated statutory body) meetings as may be required, circulating documents for review at least 24 hours in advance.
• Maintain records of the CPC regional sub-group or other designated statutory body.

Contract Administration

• Follow up on the signing of contracts by vendors.
• Obligate funds in the ERP and obtain appropriate signatures for approval.
• Disseminate contract advertisements and awards.
• Maintain contracts and filing systems.
• Maintain databases/ rosters of best suppliers, contractors and service providers.

Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing

• Organize, facilitate or deliver training and learning initiatives for personnel on procurement.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing lessons learned and disseminating best practices in procurement.
• Collect and productively utilize feedback, ideas and internal knowledge about processes and best practices.

Required

• Secondary school (or equivalent) with 6 years of relevant experience OR
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Procurement, Supply Chain, Law, Commerce, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, or Economics, or related fields with 2 years of relevant experience is required

Desired

• A globally or nationally recognized professional certificate or membership (e.g. CIPS) is desired.

Required

Relevant experience is work in advising on and implementing policies and procedures to deliver a range of complex procurement programmes and strategies within international/ multi-national organizations, or related fields.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.